I just came back from a backpacking trip outside the country. The first thing I checked when the plane landed in Manila is my mobile phone. It was turned off for a couple days so I was a bit excited to check text messages in my inbox.

Surprisingly, most of the messages I got were political campaign ads endorsing candidates for the local/national elections. How did they get my cell phone number?

Here’s one sample. (Hello.. I’m not residing in Palawan to begin with.)

These campaign materials are everywhere --- Print, TV, Radio, and all over the internet. Now, through text messages? Give me a break.